Stamp dispensing machine



Jan. 12, 1965 H. c. JONES STAMP DISPENSING MACHINE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. 15, 1962 4/ 55 89 64 82 5/ 59 45 25 65 75 INVENTOR. 68 86 #06 6.1 JO/V Jan. 12, 1965 H. c. JONES 7 3,16 7

STAMP DISPENSING MACHINE Filed Aug. 15, 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. f/Vf/ 61 JO/VEJ' United States Patent 3,165,248 STAR i? DEPENHNG MACHENE Hugh C. Jones, 330 Burchett St, Glendale, Calif assignor of one-third each to Leland L. Bills and Richard W. Callaway, Arcadia, Calif.

Filed Aug. 15, 1962, Ser. No. 217,213 19 Ciairns. (Cl. 225-46) This invention relates to a machine for extruding predetermined lengths of a long strip of sheet material coiled in a roll with the strip being delivered adjacent a cutting edge along which the strip may be severed.

The machines of this invention are especially well suited for dispensing trading stamps in stores and other places of business where such stamps are issued to customers as redeemable premium in proportion to the amounts of the sales made to them. Various types of stamp dispensing machines have been used for this purpose heretofore, the present invention being directed to the provision of an improved machine which is simple and rugged in construction, easy and convenient to operate, reliable in service, and economical to manufacture.

One of the advantageous features of a machine of this invention is that the machine provides for easy loading with a roll of stamps to a position in which the roll rests and is rotatable upon a flat support so as to prevent uncoiling of the roll except for such unwinding as is nec essary for delivery of a desired number of stamps.

Another object of this invention is the provision of a machine of the above-mentioned character having means for assuring that a length of a strip having the desired number of stamps is extruded to a position in which a transverse line in the strip marking a division between stamps becomes aligned with a cutting edge along which the strip is to be cut off.

In conventional practice each stamp has a redemption value of one mil, and represents the premium amount for a ten-cent increment in a sale. The machines of this invention, in their preferred form, are designed to handle two rolls of stamps, one being divisible into units of ten stamps for making up the dollar amount of the sale, and the other being used to make up the premium for each ten-cent increment of that portion of the sale amount which is less than one dollar also; the machines of this invention preferably include two concentrically mounted selector dials which are operable to deliver predetermined numbers of stamps from each of the rolls.

Among other objects of the invention is to provide a machine of the above-mentioned character having means for counting the number of stamps delivered, and means for locking the machine against being operated.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will appear in the following part of this specification wherein the details of construction and mode of operation of -a preferred embodiment are described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a stamp dispensing machine embodying this invention;

FIGURE 2 is a vertical section on a larger scale throu g the machine taken upon a plane indicated by line 22 on FIGURE 1; and,

FIGURES 3, 4 and 5 are sections taken upon planes indicated by lines 33, 4-4 and 55 respectively, on FIGURE 2.

In the drawing, the illustrated machine is designated by reference numeral 10. It is designed to deliver predetermined numbers of stamps from two rolls 12 and Patented Jan. 12, 1965 ice 13. Roll 12 is sometimes hereinafter referred to as the dollar roll and it consists of a long strip of stamps coiled around a core 15, the strip appearing in plan in FIGURES l and 2 as an extruded length 16 of ten stamps represent ing the premium to be issued for a one dollar sale. The strip of the dollar roll has four longitudinally extending lines of perforations 17 along which the strip is severable into five longitudinally extending rows of stamps, and the strip has transversely extending lines of perforations 18 along which the strip is severable into transverse rows of five stamps each. The other roll 13 is sometimes hereinafter referred to as the tens roll and it consists of a long strip of a single row of stamps coiled around a core 20, the stamps being separable from each other along transverse lines of perforations. The extruded section 21 of the tens roll in FIGURES l and 2 contains one stamp only and represents the premium to be issued for a tencent increment of a sale. In the case of the illustrated rolls, the rectangular stamps are arranged with the major axis of each stamp extending longitudinally of its respective coiled strip.

Machine 10 has an open-sided frame, designated generally by reference numeral 23, the frame comprising a top wall 24, a bottom wall or base 25, and two opposite side walls 26 and 27. A removable casing 29 encloses the frame 23, the casing seating along its lower edge into a flanged rim portion 31 of the base 25. A fastener 32 in the top of the casing serves to releasably secure the casing to the frame, the illustrated fastener 32 being of conventional construction and may be of a type which is operated by a key to lock the casing upon the frame.

The frame 23 includes a support plate or partition 34 spaced above the bottom wall 25 and attached at its ends to the side walls 26 and 27 to form a partition dividing the inside of the frame into a lower section for handling the tens roll of stamps and an upper section for handling the dollar roll. A flat platform 36 is mounted by legs 37 upon the partition 34 to extend in a horizontal plane in the frame for supporting the dollar roll 12. Similarly, there is a platform 38 for the tens roll 13, mounted by legs 39 upon the base 15. The platforms have center holes 4il and 41, respectively, in vertical alignment with each other and with a hole 42 in top wall 24 and a bearing dent or hole 43 in thebase 25 for reception of a removable pin 44. The upper end of the pin 44 projects slightly above the top wall 24 of the frame so that the pin may be easily removed from the frame after the casing 29 has been removed.

With the pin 44 removed, the rolls 12 and 13 may be loaded into the machine by inserting them through an open side of the frame to rest on their respective platforms. Preferably, the rolls have topplates 46 and 47, respectively, for maintaining squareness in the rolls. With the centers of the cores of the rolls being aligned with the center holes of the platforms, the pin 44 may be inserted through the cores of the rolls to hold the rolls on their platforms in positions for rotation on a vertical axis. Inasmuch as the rolls rest directly upon their respective platforms with one side edge of the coiled strips of stamps in each case (edge 48 in the case of the dollar roll 12) being in abutment against the platforms, the rolls are thus held against freely uncoiling.

The strips of stamps are unwound from their respective rolls and delivered through a vertically-extending slit St at one side of the machine where the extruded strip sections 16 and 21 may be cut off. The slit is defined by a chute of two lips 51 and 52 extending out from the sidewall 27 of the frame, there being a slot 53 formed in the casing 29 and open at the bottom end edge of the casing for accommodation of the slit-defining lips when the casing is placed down in covering relationship over and around the frame. Lip 52 has a cutting edge 54 at its outer end against which the strips of stamps are forced in the operation of severing the extruded length of the strip.

To feed the strip of stamps from the dollar roll 12. to the delivery slit 59, there is a feed wheel or drum 55 comprising end Walls 56 and 57 and a cylindrical side wall 58, the feed Wheel being mounted for rotation on a vertically extending shaft 59. l The upper end wall 56 has a pinion gear portion 60 and the lower end wall'7 has a hub portion 61. The shaft59 is nonrotatably mounted in the frame as by being force fitted at its upper end in a hole 63 in the top wall 24 of the frame and extending at its lower end into a nut 64 in the bottom wall 25 of the frame. Bearing sleeves 65 and 66 in the end walls 56 and 57 of the drum 55 serve to rotatably mount the drum on the shaft. A bearing nut 68 in the partition 34 supports the drum 55 in horizontal alignment with the dollar roll 12 of stamps.-

The cylindrical side wall 58 of the feed drum 55 has a circumferentially arranged series of vertically'extending rows of spines '79 projecting radially outward for engagement with the strip of stamps of the dollar roll 12 by extending into the perforations of the transversely extending lines of perforations 18 in the strip. The space between adjacent pairs of vertically extending rows of spines 70, measured circumferentially of the drum, is equal to the uniform space between adjacent lines of perforations 1d of the strip so that the spines will reg- I ister with the perforations.

A feed wheel '72 serves to deliver stamps from the tens roll 13, the feed wheel having end walls 73 and 74 and a cylindrical side wall '75 provided 'with' a circumferential'ly extending series of uniformly spaced apart sets of spines 7ofor registration with the transverse lines of perforations in the strip of the tens roll. The inner end wall '73 of the feed wheel 72 includes a cam follower wheel 78, described more fully hereinafter, and a hub 79 containing a bearing sleeve 59 for rotatably mounting the feed wheel 72 on the shaft 59.

concentric bearing sleeve '63 upon the anchoring'nut 64 of the shaft 59;

For rotating the lower feed wheel '72 there is a vertically extending drive shaft 85 positioned between the roll-holding pin 44 and the feed wheel shaft 59, the drive shaft being rotatably mounted at its lower end in a bearing nut 86 secured in the bottom wall 25 of the frame. A spur or driving gear 87 at the lower end of the drive shaft meshes with the gear 82 of the feed wheel 72; the spur gear being fixed'nonrotatably on the drive to the feed drum55 by a spur gear 58 secured to the drive sleeve by a set screw 59, the spur gear, being in mesh with the pinion gear 65 ofthe feed drum 55. The spur gear 98 includes arcam follower wheel 1tlil'the de-. tails of construction and functionof which are "described; later in this specification Toseparately operate the feed wheels 55 and, 72, there are two concentric selector dials 1152 and 1113 nonrotat- 'ably secured, as with a force-tit to the drive sleeve 92 and to the drive shaft'35, respectively. 'The enclosing casing 29 'has'an opening 195 for clearing the outer selec- The lower end; wall 74 of the feed wheel '72 includes a gear 82 and a t tor diallilZ. The inner selector dial tea, which operates the feed wheel for the tens roll 13, has a circumaxially extending series of uniformly spaced-apartfinger receiving openings 1117, and the outer selector dial 152 for operation of the feed wheel 55 for the dollar roll 12 is similarly provided with a series of uniformly spaced-apart finger receiving openings 108. A finger stop 109 secured to the top Wall 24 of the frame (FIGURE 5) extends radially inward above the selector dials.

An indicator disc 111 is positioned under the selector dial 193 concentric with the hub portion 112 of the selector dial and is supported against rotation by a tongue 113 which extends upwardly between the selector dials 192 and 183 and is secured as with rivets 114- to the under-. side of the finger stop 1119. The indicator disc 111 has a successive series. of indexing'nunibers on its'upper. face in registry with the finger receiving openings 1197, respectively, of the selector dial 1113. The outer selector dial 162 for operating the dollars roll 12 is similarly provided with an indicator disc lldsuitably securedas by welding upon the top wall 24 of the frame and having marginal portion 117 on the upper face of which is a circumferent-ially arranged series of indexing numbers registering with the finger receivingropenin'gs 16 8 respectively.

Inasmuch as the strip of stamps of the dollars roll 12 is five stamps wide wherebytwo transverse rows of five stamps each are needed to make-up a dollar unit of stamps to be dispensed, the gearing between the selector dial 102 and the feed wheel 55 is such that rotation of the selector dial by an amount equal to the space between the forward edges (proximate the finger stop 109) of adjacent finger holes 108 will produce sufiicient rotation of the feed wheel to drive the strip of the dollars roll by distance equal to width of the extruded length 16 of ten stamps.

Means are provided to insure extrusion of the stamp strips to an extent in which a transverse line of perforations 18 will be directly opposite the tear-off edge 54 of the delivery chute '51, 52. Such positioning means, in the illustrated embodiment, comprise a lever 12f} pivotally mounted by a pin'121 at one end thereof (FIGURE 3) to the top wall 24 of the frame, and connected at its opposite end 122 to a tension spring 123anchored at 124. Lever has a cam pin or roller 125 intermediate its ends. The tension spring 123 urges the lever in a clockwise direction on its pivot 121. as viewed in FIGURE 3 for continual engagement of the carnroller 1215 with-the cam wheel 1% of gear 98. The cam Wheel 1619 has a circumferentially arranged series of uniformly spaced- .apart projections 127 with arcuate cam edges defining the depressions or recesses 123 between adjacent pairs of projections. In a stamp dispensing operation of turning the selector dial 1112 to a position of the operators finger stop 1139, the cam roller 125 under springrpress ure radially inwardwith respect to'the cam Wheel 1119 causes the cam Wheel to rotate to a position of the cam roller centered in a depression 128 of the cam wheel. The spines 7% on the feed'wheel 55 are oriented with respect to the depressions ofthe cam wheel and the space between the feed 1 .34 and havinga tension spring132 and a cam r0ller133 in operative engagement with the cam wheel 78 of the feed drum 72 such that rotationof the feed: drum will stop when the strip of the tens roll reaches afposition in which a line of perforations between adjacent stamps; in the strip is directly opposite the "cutting edge 54 of the. I

delivery chute.

For directing the strip of; stamps from the dollars roll -12 circumferentially of the feed drum with the spines 70 of the drum extending into perforations of the stamp strip, there is an arcuate gate or guide member 136 having horizontally extending corrugations or grooves 137 for clearing the spines. At that end of the guide 136 which is proximate the delivery chute 51, 52, the guide has ears 138 (FIGURE 3) for reception of a pin 139 by which the guide is pivotally mounted in the frame to swing toward and away from the feed drum. Ears 140 adjacent the end of the guide member remote from the delivery chute mount a detent in the form of a longitudinally extendable pin 142 releasably engageable at its ends in holes 143 and 144 (FIGURE 5) in the frame holding the guide member in closed position pressing the strip of stamps against the feed drum.

A guide sheet or plate 146 is provided for convenience to the operator in loading the machine and threading the strip of stamps between the arcuate guide member 136 and the feed drum 55. The guide plate 146 is supported as by being soldered at 147 to a spacer sleeve 148 around the shaft 85, and is anchored at 149 to the partition 34. The feed wheel 72 for driving the strip of stamps of the tens roll 13 is similarly provided with a pivotally mounted guide member 152 and guide plate 153 corresponding in structure and function and mode of operation to the guide member 136 and guide sheet 146, respectively, for the feed drum 55.

Suitable counting mechanisms 156 and 157 of conventional design are drivingly connected to the feed wheels 55 and 72 respectively as with belts 158 and 159 trained around the hubs of the feed wheels and around pulley wheels 160 and 161 on the shafts of the counting mechanisms.

The stamp dispensing machine includes means for locking the gearing by which the feed wheels are driven. For the illustrated embodiment, suoh locking means comprises a vertically extending shaft 163 mounting ratches 164 and 165 for locking engagement with the driving gears 87 and 98, respectively. The upper end 164 of the shaft 163 is accessible by a removable key (not shown) to turn the shaft and the ratchets 164 and 165 from their unlock positions shown in FIGURES 3 and 4 respectively to lock positions where the ends of the ratchets engage their respective drive gears 87 and 98 between pairs of adjacent teeth of the drive gears.

While the particular stamp dispensing machine herein shown and disclosed in detail is fully capable of attaining the objects and providing the advantages hereinbefore stated, it is to be understood that it is merely illustrative of the presently preferred embodiments of the invention and that no limitations are intended to the details of construction or design hereinshown other than as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A machine for dispensing stamps from a long strip separable along lines of perforations extending transversely of the strip, the strip being coiled in a cylindrical roll, the machine comprising a frame, a horizontal stationary platform for supporting one end of the roll resting directly upon the platform whereby a side edge of the strip abuts the platform to prevent unintended rotation of the roll and uncoiling thereof, a pin perpendicular to and extending above the platform and defining'a vertical axis about which the roll may rotate, a feeding wheel mounted in the frame for rotation in juxtaposition to the roll-receiving'space whereby saidstrip will travel in a path extending tangentially from the roll, thence in engagement with the circumference of the feeding wheel and thence to a vertically disposed tear-off position marking the outer or against'tl1e circumference of the wheel whereby rotation of the wheel will uncoil the strip from the roll to travel along said path," and means for rotating the wheel to dispense a predetermined Whole number of stamps past said tear-off position.

2. In a machine for dispensing predetermined lengths of strip stamps coiled in two cylindrical rolls, two stationary platforms spaced one above the other for supporting said rolls respectively from the end surfaces there of, means for holding the rolls on their respective platforms and permitting rotation of the rolls relative to said stationary platform about a common axis, two rotatable feeding wheels offset to one side of said platforms, means for guiding said stamp strips from the supply rolls to engagement with the feeding wheels respectively and thence to a vertically disposed tear-off position, and a pair of concentrically-supported independent, manually operable rotatable dials mounted on vertical shafts and drivingly connected to a respective one of said feed wheels.

3. In a machine according to claim 2 including spring biased cam means operatively associated with said dials and said feed wheels for effecting corrective rotation of the feed wheels in both a clockwise and a counterclockwise direction as necessary to assure dispensing an exact whole number of stamps.

4. A manually actuated stamp dispensing machine having a housing provided with storage compartment means for separate rolls of stamp strips with each roll supported on one end against a fixed flat surface to provide frictional drag on each convolution of stamps in each roll and resisting unwinding of stamps therefrom, spindle means extending axially into said rolls and holding the same centered for rotation thereabout, a pair of coplanar concentrically-supported manually-operable dials on the exterior of said machine having driving connections with separate feeding drums for each of said rolls of stamps, each of said dials having ten finger openings arranged in a ring about their respective peripheries, means holding strips of stamps from each roll in contact with said feeding drums, said feeding drums each including a ring of contoured notches corresponding in number to the stamps required to encircle said feeding drums, and spring-pressed roller detent means movable into and out of said contoured notches and cooperating therewith to rotate said drums through a small increment in either direction as necessary to hold said feeding drums in a stop position with an exact whole number only of said stamps dispensed. 7

5. In a stamp dispensing machine of the type having storage means for a roll of strip stamps joined together along lines of perforations, rotary feed drum means having pin means registering with said perforations to control the dispensing of said stamps and the positive feed thereof as said drum is rotated, means for rotating said'feeding drum through a preselected angle of rotation to dispense stamps; that improvement in controlling the rotation of said drum to dispense an exact whole number of stamps therefrom which improvement comprises a plurality of similar cam-shaped notches spaced uniformly apart in a ring and connected to rotate with said feeding drum, spring pressed roller detent means seatable in said notches in sequence as said feeding drum is rotated and cooperating with said cam shaped notches to rotate said feeding drum selectively clockwise and counterclockwise through a small increment as necessary to assure said feeding drum always stopping in position to dispense an exact whole number of stamps and effective to hold the feeding drum in this stopped position until the next dispensing operation is performed on said machine.

6. In a machine for dispensing stamps from two continuous strips coiled in separate cylindrical rolls'and each perforated transversely thereof, a separate horizontallydisposed stationary platform spaced one above the other in direct engagement with a respective one of said rolls I and supporting said rolls from the lower edge'thereof,

means for holding the rolls rotatably on the respective platforms, two rotatable stamp feeding wheels in juxta-' position to said platforms respectively for dispensing stamps from said rolls, delivery chute means for the strips provided with tear-off edges, two independently-operable concentrically-disposed rotatable dials o-peratively connected to the feeding .wheels respectively, and springactuated cooperating cam wheel and roller detent means 'operatively associated with each of said feeding wheels operable to rotate said feeding wheels in either direction as necessary to stop said feeding wheels with a transverse roll of perforations of each strip accurately opposite a respective one of said tear-off edges.

7. In a machine for dispensing an exact whole number of stamps from a continuous roll thereof and joined to one another by transverse rows of perforations, means means cooperating with a ring of closely spaced arcuate notches rotatable with said stamp dispensing means and effective to rotate the latter through a small are either clockwise or counterclockwise as necessary to assure that said stamp dispensing means stops with a whole number of stamps dispensed and with a row of perforations positioned directly opposite said stamp severing edge.

8. A stamp dispensing machine as definedin claim 7 characterized in that said spring-loaded cam means cornprises pivoted lever means, a freely rotating roller detent mounted on said lever means and positioned to ride into and out of said ring of arcuate notches and cooperating therewith to come to rest only when said roller detent is fully seated in any one thereof and being effective at that time to hold said stamp dispensing means firmly but nonpositively against rotation, 9. A stamp dispensing machine as defined in claim 7 characterized in that said arcuate notches are spaced apart a distance correlated wtih the distance between adjacent transverse rows of said stamp perforations.

10. A stamp dispensing machine. as defined in claim 7 characterized in that said arcuate notches are spaced apart a distance correlated with the distance between every other transverse row of said stamp perforations.

11. A-stamp dispensing machine as defined in claim 8 characterized in that said stamp dispensing means includes a cylindrical feed roll having rows of pins projecting from the periphery thereof registrable with perforations of said stamps as the stamps pass over said feed roll, and said arcuate notches being carried on one end of said feed roll beside one lateral edge of the strip of stamps being dispensed. 12. In a stamp dispensing machine as defined in claim 7 characterized in the provision of a plurality of independently operable means for dispensing separate continuous strips of stamps including-a stripone stamp Wide and a second strip having multiple rows of stamps. separated by lengthwise rows of perforations, said machine sure the accurate dispensingof an exact whole number of stamps. i

13. In a manually actuated stamp dispensing machine for dispensing'a selected number of stamps from a coiled continuous strip thereof and separated from one another by transverse rows of perforations, said machine being of the type having stamp dispensing slot means provided witha severingedge and havin manuall o erablerneans y g y P means comprising spring-loaded cammed detent means operating into and out of said notches in succession as stamps are being dispensed and effective to extend or to retract the dispensed stamps by a short increment substantially less than the lengthof one. stamp as necessary to stop the dispensing operationwith an exact whole number of stamps dispensed thereby topresent a row of said perforations directly opposite said severing edge.

14. A machine for dispensing predetermined lengths of strip stamps from coiled rolls thereof while supported in end-to-end relation on a common axis interiorly of said machine, and said machine having a housing, a pair of concentrically arranged dials rotatably supported closely against one face of said housing on a common axis parallel to the axis of said rolls of stamps, a pair of rotary stamp dispensing rolls supported interiorly of said machine on axes parallel to the axis of said dials andparallel to the axis of said stamp rolls, means for guiding strips of stamps from said rolls through stamp dispensing slot means opening through one side face of said housing lying generally'at right angles tothe plane of said dials, separate drive means between-each of said dials and, an associated one of said stamp dispensing rolls, each of said stamp dispensing rolls having a ring of notches cooperating with associated spring-biased cam meanseffective to stop saidrolls'in a position to assure dispensing a whole-number of stamps, and the rims of said dials each being provided with a series of finger openings for use in manually rotating the dialspast stop means fixed to said machine and overlying the rims of said dials.

15. A stamp dispensing machine as defined in claim 14 characterized in that said machine includes means operatively associated with each of said rolls of stamps effectively to resist uncoiling of each thereof in an amount materially in excess of the lengths of stamps actually dispensed during any single operation of said dials.

16. A stamp dispensing machine asdefined in claim 14 characterized in that said rings of notches for said stamp dispensing rolls comprise a series of concave surfaces merging smoothly with intervening convex surfaces to form alternate humps and dales, and said spring biased cam means being adapted to come to rest only when fully seated in contact with one of saidconvex surfaces.

17. A stamp dispensing machine as defined in claim 16 characterized in that said spring-biased cam means for each of said stamp dispensing rolls comprises lever means pivoted to said machine near one end and having spring means thereon effective to bias said lever means toward in end-to-end relation on parallel axes interiorly of said machine," said machine having-a housing, a' pair of concentricall-y arranged dials rotatably supported closely movable through distances corresponding .tothe length l of the stamp stripto be dispensed; that improvement for v compensating for the failure of the operator: to operate said manualmeans through distances corresponding ex against one face .;ofs aid housing on a common axis paral- 1611 0 the axes. ofsaid rolls of stamps,a pair of rotary stamp dispensing rolls supported interiorlyiof said maa guiding strips of stamps from said rolls through stamp dispensing slot means opening through one side face of said housing lying generally at right angles to the plane of said dials, separate drive means between each of said dials and an associated one of said stamp dispensing rolls, and the rims of said dials each being provided with a series of finger openings for use in manually rotating the same past stop means fixed to said machine and overlying the ring of openings in the rims of said dials.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Parmenter Oct. 12, 1909 Zimmerman Apr. 11, 1939 Steen et a1 Oct. 14, 1941 Engel Apr. 7, 1942 Singer June 17, 1952 Knutson Apr. 4, 1961 

1. A MACHINE FOR DISPENSING STAMPS FROM A LONG STRIP SEPARABLE ALONG LINES OF PERFORATIONS EXTENDING TRANSVERSELY OF THE STRIP, THE STRIP BEING COILED IN A CYLINDRICAL ROLL, THE MACHINE COMPRISING A FRAME, A HORIZONTAL STATIONARY PLATFROM FOR SUPPORTING ONE END OF THE ROLL RESTING DIRECTLY UPON THE PLATFORM WHEREBY SIDE EDGE OF THE STRIP ABUTS THE PLATFORM TO PREVENT UNITENDED ROTATION OF THE ROLL AND UNCOILING THEREOF, A PIN PERPENDICULAR TO AND EXTENDING ABOVE THE PLATFORM AND DEFINING A VERTICAL AXIS ABOUT WHICH THE ROLL MAY ROTATE, A FEEDING WHEEL MOUNTED IN THE FRAME FOR ROTATION IN JUXTOPOSITION TO THE ROLL-RECEIVING SPACE WHEREBY SAID STRIP WILL TRAVEL IN A PATH EXTENDING TANGENTIALLY FROM THE ROLL, THENCE IN ENGAGEMENT WITH THE CIRCUMFERENCE OF THE FEEDING WHEEL AND THENCE TO A VERTICALLY DISPOSED TEAR-OFF POSITION MARKING THE OUTER OR DOWNSTREAM END OF THE PATH OF TRAVEL OF THE STRIP IN THE MACHINE, SPINES ON THE CIRCUMFERENCE OF THE WHEEL FOR RE- 